Silas Marner
By
George Eliot
Revision Notes – Quick Notes
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1 Silas Marner – GCSE Revision Notes – Quick Notes – English Literature.
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2 Silas Marner – GCSE Revision Notes – Quick Notes – English Literature.
Table of Contents
Context ................................................................................................................................... 5
Life of George Eliot (1819-1880) ........................................................................................................ 5
George Eliot’s Writings ...................................................................................................................... 5
The Industrial Revolution................................................................................................................... 5
The Victorian novel ............................................................................................................................ 5
Summary ................................................................................................................................ 6
Chapters ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Characters............................................................................................................................... 7
Silas Marner ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Eppie .................................................................................................................................................. 7
Godfrey Cass ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Nancy Lammeter ................................................................................................................................ 8
Language ................................................................................................................................ 8
Important quotations explained ........................................................................................................ 8
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols .................................................................................................. 9
Themes............................................................................................................................................... 9
Motifs ................................................................................................................................................. 9
Symbols .............................................................................................................................................. 9
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Context
Life of George Eliot (1819-1880)
George Eliot was the pen-name of Mary Ann Evans. Her mother died in 1836 and from then
until his death in 1849, she was her father’s housekeeper. After that, she moved to London.
Although she was influenced by the Evangelical preacher, Rev. John Edmund Jones, when
younger, she moved in intellectual circles in London that sought to question conventional
beliefs.
George Eliot’s Writings
George Eliot is best known for her novels but published a variety of work, including articles,
poetry and satirical writing.
Her major novels:
 Adam Bede 1859
 The Mill on the Floss 1860
 Silas Marner 1861
 Romola 1863
 Felix Holt: The Radical 1867
 Middlemarch 1872
 Daniel Deronda 1876
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution took place between the 1790s and 1860s. A time that saw
traditional agriculture and manufacturing methods completely changed as a result of more
modern technologies. Obviously such huge changes had a massive impact on the social and
economic conditions of the time and hence Society changed as a whole. It was possible for
people to become very rich but it was also possible for them to lose their livelihood.
The Victorian novel
Queen Victoria reigned for over 60 years and there were many important novels written
during this time. These novels often included:
 the difficulties faced by the poorer people of the time
 the challenges that the Industrial Revolution brought
 the portrayal of town and country life
 a moral lesson, celebrating things like hard work, resolution and love, as well as good
fortune - the moral statement in Silas Marner is quite a complex one
 a strong narrative voice - there are often comments that give historical perspective
 satire, irony and humour
 ghost stories and Gothic tales were very popular so the fairy tale feel of some
aspects of Silas Marner and the mystery and suspense attached to some aspects of
the plot would not have been strange to Eliot’s audience
5 Silas Marner – GCSE Revision Notes – Quick Notes – English Literature.
Summary
Chapters
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Chapter 1 - Introduction and Lantern Yard events, which were fifteen years earlier
Chapter 2 - Silas’s early life in Raveloe
Chapter 3 - Introduction to the Cass family; Godfrey gives Dunstan the horse to sell
Chapter 4 - Dunstan steals Marner’s money (after the horse is killed)
Chapter 5 - Discovery of the theft
Chapter 6 - The Rainbow – conversation
Chapter 7 - Investigation of the theft
Chapter 8 - Godfrey worries about losing Nancy and decides to tell his father about
the rent money
Chapter 9 - Godfrey tells his father about the rent money
Chapter 10 - The villagers support Silas; Christmas party at the Squire’s house
without Dunstan, who has disappeared
Chapter 11 - New Year’s Eve Party – introduction to Nancy
Chapter 12 - Molly, Godfrey’s wife dies; Silas finds Eppie asleep by his fire
Chapter 13 - New Year’s Eve Party – Silas interrupts the party with news of Molly. He
adopts Eppie
Chapter 14 - Silas learns to look after Eppie – and to live again
Chapter 15 - Godfrey looks forward to marrying Nancy. He will only help Eppie from
a distance
Chapter 16 - Sixteen years later – Nancy and Godfrey are childless; Eppie plans to
marry Aaron Winthrop and to continue living with Silas
Chapter 17 - A fuller picture of Nancy and Godfrey
Chapter 18 - Dunstan’s body and Silas’s money are found. Godfrey tells Nancy that
Eppie is his daughter
Chapter 19 - Nancy and Godfrey offer to adopt Eppie but she wants to stay with Silas
and Aaron
Chapter 20 - Acceptance by Nancy and Godfrey
Chapter 21 - Contented acceptance by Marner that Raveloe is his life and home,
after he and Eppie visit the much changed area that was Lantern Yard
Conclusion - Eppie and Aaron’s wedding
6 Silas Marner – GCSE Revision Notes – Quick Notes – English Literature.
Characters
Silas Marner
He is a weaver and that craftsman’s skill immediately differentiates him. He is described as
pale and as having protuberant brown eyes. He has come to work in Raveloe and is not a
native of the area. His experience in Lantern Yard, being accused of theft, has made
him distrustful and reluctant to mix with people or attend Church.
He has some herbal knowledge, but lacks the confidence to deal with the villagers when
they approach him after he helped one person. He knows that his skill is limited but the
villagers think it is because he is someone other-worldly and therefore frightening. The fact
that he suffers from cataleptic fits adds to this picture.
There is no doubt that Silas is somewhat naïve, both in trusting William Dane, back in
Lantern yard, and in his emotional reactions. However, he is honest and trustworthy. He
also has an immense capacity for love and generosity, as is shown by his relationship with
Eppie. Thanks to her, he re-learns happiness and becomes a part of the Raveloe community.
The fact that he had become a miser is only really a reflection of what had happened to his
life at that point and of his insecurity. The lingering of that insecurity is most painfully shown
when he thinks he must let Eppie go to Godfrey and Nancy, but Eppie returns his love by
making it clear that she will stay with him.
You may choose to see this as the morality of the story working itself out or you may see
Silas as an example of a much deeper sense of values than the worship of money. There is
no doubt that there is a moral edge to the way the story is concluded.
Eppie
Eppie is a beautiful little girl who becomes a beautiful young woman. She seems, with her
golden hair, to be Silas’s gold returned when he first sees her in front of his fire and she
becomes more precious to him than those coins.
She is an exuberant personality and her warmth is good for Silas.
The symbolism and moral lesson of the gold is developed by her desire for a garden. That
wish is fulfilled by the combined efforts of Silas, Aaron and her real father, Godfrey. The
garden and the improvements to the cottage complete her happiness and are an image of
contentment in a natural environment. This image is especially appropriate after Silas has
sought closure from Lantern Yard.
Godfrey Cass
"his sons had turned out rather ill" (Chapter 3)
Godfrey is the oldest son of Squire Cass and is characterised throughout the book by
his weakness. It seems that he does not mean to cause suffering but his incompetence
certainly causes pain. He seems intimidated by his father and is obviously bullied by
Dunstan.
7 Silas Marner – GCSE Revision Notes – Quick Notes – English Literature.
Godfrey sets great store by money and the power it gives you. He thinks he can deal with
Mollie by paying her, though he is simply funding her opium habit. He appeases his
conscience by giving Silas money when he adopts Eppie.
Later he believes that money gives him the power to take over Eppie’s life when he chooses
to do so. He learns, though, that "There’s debts we can’t pay like money debts" (Chapter 20)
and he has to settle for a childless life.
However, finally he uses his wealth generously and without conditions, improving Silas’s
home and garden and funding the wedding feast. He does not attend the feast. Such an act
of acceptance would perhaps have been too much to believe on all sides so George Eliot has
him go away for the day for "special reasons".
Nancy Lammeter
Nancy is arguably contrasted with Priscilla, Dolly and Eppie:
 she lacks the liveliness and natural warmth of Eppie
 she lacks the directness of Priscilla
 she lacks the "tender tact" (Chapter 14) that Dolly possesses
She is very beautiful and much admired by the Raveloe community. She is a good
housekeeper and understands the importance of working. She was baking the day of the
New Year party. "For even while she was dressing she narrated to her aunt how she and
Priscilla had packed their boxes yesterday, because this morning was baking morning, and
since they were leaving home, it was desirable to make a good supply of meat-pies for the
kitchen" (Chapter 11).
There is no doubt whatsoever about her integrity. She has refused Godfrey when we first
meet her, because she disapproves of his conduct and we can sympathise with this.
However, it is a little harder to accept that she cannot adopt because it must be God’s will
that she is childless, since her baby died. Given this absolute moral code, it is to her credit
that she is willing to adopt Eppie, when she finally learns the truth and does not condemn
Godfrey.
When Eppie says she will stay with Silas, Nancy soothes Godfrey as much as she can.
Although she is glad that, as the adoption is not to take place, Godfrey prefers to keep
things secret. She clearly becomes a good friend to Eppie and Silas, buying the wedding
dress, and she remains true to her husband.
Language
Important quotations explained
1.
To have sought a medical explanation for this phenomenon would have been held by Silas
himself, as well as by his minister and fellow-members, a wilful self-exclusion from the
spiritual significance that might lie therein.
This passage, from Chapter 1, describes the reaction of Silas’s religious sect in Lantern Yard
to one of his cataleptic fits. The worshippers in his chapel interpret Silas’s fit as divinely
8 Silas Marner – GCSE Revision Notes – Quick Notes – English Literature.
inspired, a sort of holy trance, and their respect for him grows as a result. The passage
addresses the issue of faith, one of the central themes of the novel. The description
suggests that the sect members’ faith in the “spiritual significance” of Silas’s fit requires a
denial of any factors that might complicate it. In other words, the beliefs predominant in
Lantern Yard do not allow for complexity or ambiguity and require that one develop
intellectual blinders.
Eliot does not hesitate, in this chapter and elsewhere, to label this sort of belief primitive.
There is a note of condescension in Eliot’s description, a wink, shared with her
contemporary readers, at these simple folk from the past who ascribe supernatural causes
to anything the least bit unusual. The humour lies in the phrase “wilful self-exclusion,”
which, Eliot implies, is exactly what Silas and his fellow worshippers depend upon to
maintain their belief. It is important to keep in mind that Eliot writes as someone who had
once believed quite passionately in similar teachings but had since broken from them. Thus,
her view of the sect is that of someone who has both experienced and rejected similar
comforts and tenets.
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols
Themes
1. A fairy tale
2. Magic
3. Coincidence
4. Mystery
5. Money
6. The community
7. The significance of a child
8. The children
9. Religion and duty
10. The omniscient narrator
Motifs
1. The Natural World
2. Domesticity
3. Class
Symbols
1. Silas’s Loom
2. Lantern Yard
3. The Hearth
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